Morning. Today: some thoughts around the positives and negatives of a compulsive work ethic. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/performing...

Oh, look it's Monday again. Maybe 4 micro-micro-stories about a put-upon civil servant dealing with magical and alien threats to England will east the pain? jonathanwood.substack.com/p/no-hero-or...

Morning. Another Friday. More fiction. This week: a visit to the archives for the four pieces of flash fiction that led me to come up with the whole Hero series. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/no-hero-or...

More craft thoughts. Today, a brief discursion into story structure, and whether it's useful or not. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/structural...

Time rolls on relentlessly and apparently I do too: fresh audio for you feed. Six minutes of absurdity and ire aimed in the direction of doorbell cameras. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/on-the-saf...

Morning. Another Friday, another story. This week, I mostly just exorcise my dislike of doorbell cameras... Enjoy? jonathanwood.substack.com/p/on-the-saf...

Morning. Posted some thoughts on social media and community building today. Because everyone wants a 40-year old's take on social media, right? jonathanwood.substack.com/p/how-social...

Saw this reel a bit ago lamenting the formulation of fantasy lately and how we need to bring back weird fantasy. I AM 1000% ON BOARD. MAKE 2026 THE YEAR OF WEIRD. www.instagram.com/reels/DS7j_6...

Morning. Something a little... well, different this morning. This week's story didn't lend itself to an audio interpretation, so instead, here's an excerpt of the novella I have coming out in August. I hope folk enjoy. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/washed-up-...

Morning! Another Friday, another bit of fiction. This week, I finally indulged my desire to write a choose-your-own-adventure style story, which I'm not sure is a format intended for micro-fiction. Still, I had fun. Maybe other people will too? jonathanwood.substack.com/p/the-walk

The best way to make your protagonist seem less of an idiot? Surround him with even bigger idiots! Follow me for more profound writing tips!! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/cast-contr...

Morning! Another Monday, another podcast. Because who doesn't want six minutes of audio to make their week weirder? jonathanwood.substack.com/p/the-interi...

Morning! Another Friday, another free story. This week: soldiers venture into an unwelcoming realm, and try to deal with the fallout. Action and weirdness, all in a 5-minute read. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/the-interior

Morning. Today: a few thoughts about influences and how they help and hinder the creative act, and how to get the most out of them. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Morning! The audio iteration of Something's a Little Off is up, so you've got something odd to listen to for 6 and a half minutes. Don't say I don't have you covered. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/in-miniatu...

Morning. Another Friday. Another piece of free fiction. This week, a man tries to control his world, and everything you'd expect ensues. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/in-miniature

Morning. Today: some thoughts about action, and good books to read if you want to write about things going boom. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/books-wher...

if you're ever wondering if your nice words and support really matter to a writer/artist, this is how we feel when it happens:

Morning. Had way too much news already? Why not distract yourself with some fictional horror instead of the real thing? jonathanwood.substack.com/p/the-second...

A little cosmic horror to kick off your morning. Just in case your coffee isn't dark enough. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/the-second...

really excellent post by @jonathanwood.bsky.social on the rewarding experience of writing stories weekly for his substack jonathanwood.substack.com/p/start-here

Morning. The substack has been going for a while now, so I've put together a small sampler of stories plus an excerpt of my upcoming novella Washed Up on Dark Shores (coming this August). Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/start-here

this may be easy for me since I collect horror anthologies & collections & read them for fun @paultremblay.bsky.social @halduncan.com @lairdbarron.bsky.social @gemmafiles.bsky.social @jonathanwood.bsky.social @kellylink.bsky.social (cont)

Morning! Why not celebrate the snow with a story that has absolutely no relationship to it other than my own desperate attempt to make this seem relevant? How does self promo work again? jonathanwood.substack.com/p/the-weapon...

Another week, another story. This time out: assassinations, romance, and a man reckoning with his past. All in the amount of time it takes to drink a coffee. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/the-weapon

Morning. Some thoughts about dialog and differentiating characters (and my own difficulty in doing so). jonathanwood.substack.com/p/whos-who

Another Monday, another audio edition of Something's A Little Off. This week: strange medicine for modernity. open.substack.com/pub/jonathan...

Morning. Another Friday. Another story. Another chance to play around with structure. Today's question: can the patient information for a drug tell a story? jonathanwood.substack.com/p/side-effec...

Never give up hope.

Morning. Today, I posted a little ode to writing, and the joy it brings me. Hopefully something for all the people who also love writing. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/why-i-love...

It's Monday, so here's another link to me talking. This week's story features weird flowers, poor business decisions, and revenge. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/knowledge-...

Morning. Some free fiction for your Friday. This week: micro-horror and megaflora. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/knowledge-...

Some thoughts on writing engaging characters and my own hot take on whether protagonists need to be like-able or not. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/a-question...

Oh look it's Monday and my cold is no longer trying to kill me. So here's a link to me continuing to spout fictional madness. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/letters-fr...

Morning. Some thoughts about inspiration, whether it's actually helpful, and some ways to reach for it anyway. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/99-perspir...

Welcome to the 2026 Criticism Special Issue! The Brackish Pool: Towards a Critical Practice of Reading Weird Fiction by Zachary Gillan @megapolisomancy.bsky.social Link ⬇️ strangehorizons.com/wordpress/no...

The snowpocalypse may be here, but it's Monday so there's another audio edition of Something's a Little Off. This week: absurdity, phones, and the rebellious act of being happy. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/the-upgrad...

Another day, another story. This week: I attempt to not upgrade my phone. My network provider does not take kindly to these efforts... open.substack.com/pub/jonathan...

Big five publishers, I’d be happy to be the EiC of a weird fiction imprint for you. I can even write a press release about it that people will understand! The works themselves, though, no one will understand. We’ll lose so much money putting so many cult classics out into the world. Think about it!

Has anyone else noticed Word's grammar check becoming noticeably more aggressive and also much worse over the past month or so?

Oh look, more thoughts about fiction and writing. This time about dialogue, and straddling the line between verisimilitude and the necessary abstraction of putting words on a page. jonathanwood.substack.com/p/do-you-hea...

Morning. Fresh Friday = fresh fiction. This week, sheep commit crimes! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/uplifting

Morning. Another Monday, another bit of audio. Today's story: fashion, the people who design it, and questionable pasts. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/inner-ugly...

Morning. Today, I continue in my quest to make things that shouldn't tell stories tell stories. Today: a review of a fashion show that didn't happen. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/inner-ugly

Well, this isn't a TERRIBLE way to kick off 2026...

another great article on writing

Morning! New year, same me, so blather continues over at Something's a Little Off. Today: some thoughts on finding your authorial voice. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/raise-your...

Posting continued relentlessly over the holiday break as I continue to skirt the "impressively productive" vs "problematic loggorrhea" line. Anyway, for a little light comedy and some book reccos, head over to jonathanwood.substack.com

New Monday. New audio. This week: spies, double crosses, triple crosses, quadruple crosses, quintuple... you know, I think you get the idea. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/straight-u...

Morning. It's Friday, so there's fresh fiction up. This time a riff on spies and double crosses, with a mild side serving of total absurdity. Enjoy! jonathanwood.substack.com/p/straight-u...